CakNH
In the Brooder
Hey all,
My little flock is having their six-week birthday on Monday. I’m planning on putting them out in the coop next week. They’re in their brooder on our enclosed porch to harden off, but with a Brinsea. They tend to roost on their perches, or have slumber parties and only sometimes go under the heater.
One of my mystery box girls from MPC is a mottled or silver laced Cochin (I think). As a baby, I thought she was a silver laced Wyandotte, but as she slowly grew, and her gold laced Wyandotte sisters grew, I began to wonder. Then her legs feathered out...
Anyway, I got all of the flock as day olds, and they were all the same size. No accidental bantams. My little Cochin grew along with her sisters, and then her growth slowed around three weeks. The other girls are huge and well-feathered, and the little Cochin is tiny and still sporting fluff on her back. Her little wing joints (elbows? Scapulae?) are bald! Her back is all sparse fluff, with feathered wings. She has been going under the heater FAR more than the others.
She’s not being bullied or pecked at. She noses right into the feed/water with everyone else. She joins right in for treats. Yet, she’s a little more than half the size of the others. I have two white Cochins who are huge and well-feathered, making me think it’s not an issue of the breed being slow to develop.
I’m planning on putting them out in the coop next week. I’m worried this one isn’t ready, when everyone else is!
My thoughts:
It’s unseasonably cold here. Projected 30s-low 40s (F) for the next few weeks at night. 40s-low 60s during the day. However, it was -2 a few days ago when I woke up.
I could segregate her for a few hours each day and give her vitamins/first access to food but that could disrupt the pecking order.
I could hold her (and a friend) back in the brooder until she feathers, and again disrupt the pecking order when I reintroduce them to the flock.
I could put her out and hopefully force her to feather.
I could hold everyone inside for another week without the Brinsea or any heat source (my porch would get down to about 45 degrees F at night, 55 during the day), then put them all out together. I’m also home during some of the day so I could put them in the run in the morning and take them in at night...but I have 13 crazy chickens who don’t love being caught!
Should I go ahead and put her out with the others? I’m attaching a pic of how poorly feathered she is.
My little flock is having their six-week birthday on Monday. I’m planning on putting them out in the coop next week. They’re in their brooder on our enclosed porch to harden off, but with a Brinsea. They tend to roost on their perches, or have slumber parties and only sometimes go under the heater.
One of my mystery box girls from MPC is a mottled or silver laced Cochin (I think). As a baby, I thought she was a silver laced Wyandotte, but as she slowly grew, and her gold laced Wyandotte sisters grew, I began to wonder. Then her legs feathered out...
Anyway, I got all of the flock as day olds, and they were all the same size. No accidental bantams. My little Cochin grew along with her sisters, and then her growth slowed around three weeks. The other girls are huge and well-feathered, and the little Cochin is tiny and still sporting fluff on her back. Her little wing joints (elbows? Scapulae?) are bald! Her back is all sparse fluff, with feathered wings. She has been going under the heater FAR more than the others.
She’s not being bullied or pecked at. She noses right into the feed/water with everyone else. She joins right in for treats. Yet, she’s a little more than half the size of the others. I have two white Cochins who are huge and well-feathered, making me think it’s not an issue of the breed being slow to develop.
I’m planning on putting them out in the coop next week. I’m worried this one isn’t ready, when everyone else is!
My thoughts:
It’s unseasonably cold here. Projected 30s-low 40s (F) for the next few weeks at night. 40s-low 60s during the day. However, it was -2 a few days ago when I woke up.
I could segregate her for a few hours each day and give her vitamins/first access to food but that could disrupt the pecking order.
I could hold her (and a friend) back in the brooder until she feathers, and again disrupt the pecking order when I reintroduce them to the flock.
I could put her out and hopefully force her to feather.
I could hold everyone inside for another week without the Brinsea or any heat source (my porch would get down to about 45 degrees F at night, 55 during the day), then put them all out together. I’m also home during some of the day so I could put them in the run in the morning and take them in at night...but I have 13 crazy chickens who don’t love being caught!
Should I go ahead and put her out with the others? I’m attaching a pic of how poorly feathered she is.
